Nature and outdoors

Bear watching tour

West Coast Aquatic Safaris13 hr 41 min by bus · 202.9 km

✓ Fits your group

Orca whale dorsal fin surfacing next to a whale-watching tour boat.

Cost

Price not published

Needs confirmation

Ages & size

Ages not published

Capacity not published

Duration

2 hours

April to October

Any day

Book by

Not published

Plan this trip

Fieldy handles all communication and booking for you.

What it actually looks like

Photos from West Coast Aquatic Safaris's website

Our note

This is the sheltered one, so it suits a group you would rather not take onto open ocean. Departures follow the low tide rather than a fixed timetable, which means the start time moves from day to day, so confirm it before you book a bus or set a pickup. It is also the shortest of their wildlife tours at around two hours.

What the children do

A guided boat tour listed at 2 to 2.5 hours, departing daily at low tide from Tofino Harbour and running April 1 to October 31. The route stays in sheltered inside passages by Meares Island, Fortune Channel or Tofino Inlet, which their booking policy page points to as the gentler option for anyone worried about a bumpy ride. Boats are covered and heated with a restroom on board, and the tour can be run as an accessible tour on request. The only price on the site is a CAD 159.00 figure in the page's structured data, with no child or group rate stated.

Board at Tofino Harbour and ride about 30 minutes through calm sheltered water past Meares Island, Fortune Channel or Tofino Inlet. The boat then works slowly along the shoreline at low tide while the children watch coastal black bears turn over rocks and boulders looking for crab and clams, with bald eagles, sea lions, seals, porpoises and occasionally wolves along the way.

Good to know

Heated covered boat with a toilet aboard, washrooms at the office, and rain does not cancel it. The youngest age, any child price, any group rate, bus parking and anywhere to eat are all unpublished.

Sources disagree. Their site gives two different end dates for the whale watching season. One says it runs to November, another says it ends in October. If you are looking at late October or November, check that they are still sailing before you plan the day.

Sources disagree. Their site gives two different sets of office opening hours. One says 9am to 5pm, the other 7am to 9pm. Since everyone has to check in half an hour before the boat leaves, it is worth confirming the office is open when you plan to arrive.

Sources disagree. Two of their pages give the street number slightly differently, 101 and 101A Fourth Street. It is the same bright orange building on Fourth Street, so either one will get your driver there.

Sources disagree. Their questions page and their tour pages give slightly different lengths for the whale and bear trips. The tour pages allow an extra half hour on each. Plan for the longer figure if you have a bus booked.

Washrooms

Yes, all boats are equipped with a restroom - sink and toilet. However, we encourage guests to use our office restroom prior to departure and/or returning from the tour.

Lunch space

Needs confirmation

Rain backup

It is the "wet coast" - so we go out. WCAS provides rain jackets to use while touring and the boat has inside seating for all.

Strollers

For safety reasons, we cannot allow strollers on our vessels, but you are welcome to leave them in our offices during your trip. For infants we recommend baby sling and carriers.

Wheelchair access

West Coast Aquatic Safaris has a ramp to provide access to the office. We also have a ramp to load aboard NANUQ, priority accessible parking at the harbour and a pre-loading protocol.

Bus parking

Parking ia available along Fourth St. or there is a pay parking lot on the corner of Third & Main.

Nearby park

Needs confirmation

Restrictions

Please check in at the West Coast Aquatic Safaris office (located at 101 Fourth Street, Tofino) at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time of your tour.. All guests are required to sign a participation waiver prior to the tour departure. Guests under 18 years of age must have a guardian sign for them.. For safety reasons, we cannot allow strollers on our vessels, but you are welcome to leave them in our offices during your trip.. Any of the open water trips may not be suitable for guests who are pregnant, who have back or neck injuries, or have concerns with open ocean conditions including potential bumps during the voyage.. Dogs must have a medical note from a physician or doctor or qualified medical practitioner, as well as wear appropriate identification (harness or vest). This policy does not include therapy or emotional support dogs.. You will not be able to touch as per Canadian law.

Getting there

101A Fourth Street, PO Box 967, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0

On foot

44 hr 7 min

too far with this group

By bus

13 hr 41 min

includes a 9 min wait

Driving

6 hr 24 min

The dark pin is Victoria.

View larger map →

Details checked on 2026-09-20 against the venue’s own pages. Something wrong? , it takes one tap. · Venue page · 250-725-9227